What is “cognition” and how do we do it?
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Alignment
LS1-2 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Discussion Questions
1. What are some problems that animals have to solve on an everyday basis?
2. Why do we study animal brains? Can you think of reasons why it's easier to study animal brains instead of human brains?
3. Do you believe that brains take “shortcuts” to help us learn faster? Why or why not?
4. How do our brains help us understand what something is even when the thing we are seeing is completely new to us?
Video 1
Vocabulary
1. Cognition - the mental process of gaining knowledge through learning, experience, judging, problem-solving, communication, and memory
2. Learning - permanent or long-term changes in knowledge or behavior that is the result of experience
3. Memory - mental processes that allow an organism to gain, store, and remember information
4. Attention - the action of actively focusing on and processing specific information from the environment
5. Characteristics - particular features of an organism, object, or idea that can be used to classify it compared to others
6. Judgements - decisions based on available information
7. Frontal Lobe - a part of the brain that controls important functions involved in cognition
Video 2
Review
1. The brain is the foundation of the mind and helps animals reason, plan, and solve problems.
2. The brain produces and processes emotion, attention, and language through the process of cognition.
3. The frontal lobe of the brain is important for planning, recognizing, learning, and judging information animals take in from their environment.
